World War Z Extended Footage Delivers Action, Drama And Zombies That Just Won't Quit

Obviously the footage shown was packaged together by the filmmakers and the studio to be only scenes that they wanted to show off to the press, the overall sense that was immediately transparent is that movie-goers will not be left wanting for more action. Be it on the streets of Philadelphia or within the walled city of Jerusalem, when the zombies attack everything goes nuts. The cinematography featured a balanced mix of both on-the-ground and aerial shots, that both allows the audience to get caught up in the panicked crowds while also gaining a larger perspective on just how everything has completely gone to hell in the world of the film. While not particularly horrific – as the camera never focused for too long on any particular person being torn to bits by the undead – it was effectively thrilling, and I found myself immediately caught up in the scenes and hoping for the main characters’ survival.

The scenes also provided a great sense of just what kind of zombies World War Z is dealing with, as we have certainly seen all different varieties over the years. And the particular watchword for this variety would be “relentless.” While the undead doesn’t seem to have any kind of heightened abilities, instead simply having the capacities of a normal human, what makes them special is just how little they seem to care about self-preservation in the name of satisfying unending hunger. Not only do these zombies run, they care about absolutely nothing that exists between point A and point B, where point B is the flesh of a delicious human. This means that if they successfully reach the top of a 20 foot wall and see people on the other side, they won’t even hesitate to immediately run off and attack – even if it means breaking every bone in their body during the fall.

One important element of the genre that has seemingly been completely taken out of the equation is gore. We’ve known for years now that the movie will be rated PG-13, but it was interesting to see how it fits into the context of the on-screen action. At one point during the Jerusalem attack an Israeli soldier is bit on the hand and Gerry takes action by lopping said hand off with a large blade. In any other zombie film this scene would be followed by the soldier clutching her arm and getting soaked in blood, but in the footage not a single drop was spilt. While the lack of bodily fluids didn’t bother me in the other action sequences, in this particular instance it did take me out of the film. How that factor will end up affecting the final cut will definitely be a question when the movie is released.